As Long As You're Safe
by Aponi Aquene
Summary: Swan Queen - Zombie AU. Taking place during a zombie apocalypse: Emma Swan and Henry are rescued by a group of survivors. After spending time with the group's leader Regina Mills, she discovers that she's drawn to this woman. On their journey to a safe zone they learn that love during a zombie apocalypse isn't easy. Bad ass zombie slaying SQ. Rated M for future chapters.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, yeah this my first AU SQ fanfic but not my first zombie fanfic. Technically I'm supposed to be working on my story "Operation Save The Savior" but I hit a little speed bump on that one in the creativity department so after a rewatch of The Walking Dead this came to me. So yeah this is what you get when you love SQ and zombies. Bad ass zombie slaying Emma and Regina. I'm giving it a M rating now for future chapters. All mistakes are mine, I don't own any of these incredible characters no matter how much wish I did. Anyway, I hope you like it.**

Chapter 1

Emma looked over at her son as she ran her fingers through his hair before leaning over and placing a kiss on his forehead. He was shaking. Neither of them have come in contact with this many of those things since the first two weeks of the outbreak and that was about a year ago. The two of them had gotten smart. Learning to hide to avoid them.

She looked out of the window on her side of the car. There had to be about seven of them on her side and about five on his. They could feel every time one of them would hit the trunk of her car so there were also a few back there. She had a clear view of the three or four blocking the front of the car.

She looked over at him and nodded. He nodded back. Handing him the gun she locked eyes with him. "I'll lead them away…"

"No." He said shaking his head, tears welling up in his eyes.

"I'll lead them away. Once you have a clear path, you speed the hell out of here and don't look back. I won't let you die. Not like this." She rolled the window down and waited for one of them to poke their head in and when one of them did she grabbed it by the collar of its shirt and stuck her hunting knife into its skull. She pushed the body out and rolled the window back up and looked back at her son. "Did you hear me?" he nodded. She kissed him on his forehead again. "I love you, Henry. Don't ever forget that."

"I love you too." He choked out. She tried to force a smile. She couldn't show how afraid she was especially not when she needed him to be strong.

She took a deep breath before opening the door with so much force it sent one of them stumbling to the ground. That caught the attention of another one next to it which stumbled toward her. She grabbed it, dug the knife deep into its skull, pushed it into the one behind it and sent them tumbling to the ground like an undead version of dominoes.

Turning back to the front of the car she headed towards the ones that were blocking the vehicle from pulling off. She had forgotten about the one she had thrown to ground and just as she took a step it grabbed her ankle and caused her to lose her footing and fall on top of it. She scrambled to get back on her feet and once she did she kicked it's skull with the heel of her boot repeatedly feeling a sudden wave of nausea as its head caved in. It finally stopped moving. Trying to catch her breath she didn't see the one lunging for her until it was already on her, the force pushed her back into the car, causing her to hit her head hard enough to knock the wind out of her but she continued to hold it away from her body, keeping it from biting her. She started feeling dizzy but stayed focused on the chomping teeth. The scuffle drew the attention of a few more that came around from the front of the car. "fuck!" She groaned. So now here she was trying to keep these four corpses from tearing her apart with a possible head injury.

She used the one she was struggling with as a shield from the others but their weight pressing against it was just pushing him closer. Starting to feel light headed she didn't know how much longer she could hold them off. "Hey kid." She called behind her. "Anytime now." She heard the car start. She knew as soon as the car pulled off she and all four zombies would topple to the ground and that would gain the attention of the others but at least while they were busy eating her Henry would have time to get away safely. She took comfort in that.

She felt it leaning in close, her arms giving way little by little. The smell of rotting flesh invading her nose. She knew he was going to bite her and she hated that that was the last image her son would ever have of her, being ripped apart viciously by rotting corpses. She couldn't hold it back any longer and she felt it coming in. she shut her eyes and thought of her son getting away and hiding where he would be the closest to safe he could be in this world, finding somewhere safe with other people. Just when she could feel and hear the clamping teeth closing in on her neck she closed her eyes tighter bracing herself for the sharp, tearing pain but it never came. The body slumped in her grasp and the chomping stopped followed by a loud thud and three more loud thuds followed it.

She cracked an eye open and saw all four of them on the ground in a lifeless pile, arrows planted in the back of their heads. She quickly looked up and scanned the woods ahead of her for a source and spotted nothing. Whoever it was was hidden in the woods behind the trees. Slowly the corpses started falling around her, arrows slicing through the air hitting their heads with perfect precision.

The sound of scratching nails and shuffling feet ceased indicating that all of them were dead. Emma started feeling light headed again and after a few moments of fighting it she collapsed to her knees. She could hear Henry calling to her trying to open the car door and failing because she was blocking it. Three pairs of boots approach her.

"Are you bitten?" she heard a woman's voice ask but she couldn't respond.

"Hey, there's a kid in here." She heard a man's voice say from what sounded like the other side of the car. There was an accent there but she couldn't place where it was from.

"Check him." She heard the woman's voice say. She watched the woman lower herself but all she could see was her boots and her black jeans. Emma couldn't lift her head. It felt like it weighed a ton. "Are you bitten?" She asked again.

"What's wrong with her?" she heard a softer female voice ask.

"Shock probably." The other voice replied. "We'll have Doc take a look at her when we get back."

"The kid is fine." The male voice said.

"Good, Grab him." The first woman said. "And you. Make yourself useful. Grab her."

"Aye Captain." She heard another man with a different accent drawl sarcastically.

The woman stood and another pair of boots approached. Just as a hand reach down towards Emma her eyes closed and she slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

Emma opened her eyes before blinking a few times trying to adjust to the lighting in the room. The morning sun was streaming in. Her head was pounding and she was nauseous. She closed her eyes again as flashes went through her mind from prior to waking up right now, The Z's ambushing the car, her and Henry. Henry! She sat straight up in the bed too quickly and the room started spinning. Her hands went to her head and she groaned. Two hands quickly found their way on each of her shoulders pushing her back.

"You have to take it easy, you have a pretty bad concussion." She recognized the voice as the softer female voice from the road.

"I can't." Emma croaked. Her head still in her hands "My Son."

"Henry, he's safe." The woman said her hands still on her shoulders. Emma let her lower her back to the bed. "He took a liking to the guys. They'll take good care of him." She doesn't know why but she trusted this woman almost instantly. "I'm Mary Margaret by the way."

"Emma…" she sighed.

"I know." The other woman smiled. "Henry told us. He's a real sweet boy and very adorable."

Emma smiled. "He is. Can I see him?"

"Sure." the brunette said as she jumped up from the bed where she was seated next to Emma and walked to the door way. "Regina." She called into the hall. A few seconds another woman appeared in front of Mary Margaret, Emma couldn't quite see her. All she could make out was her olive skin and dark hair. "She's awake." Mary Margaret stepped aside so the other woman could step into the room.

She walked up to the bed and smiled at Emma. Emma had to admit she was beautiful, dark hair and dark eyes paired perfectly with her tan skin. Emma couldn't help herself as she let her eyes wander up the woman's figure; over her shapely hips covered by black jeans, up to her black v-neck tee that was low enough to show just the right amount of cleavage where she admittedly let her eyes linger for a little too long. The brunette cleared her throat and Emma's eyes shot up to hers. Her cheeks grew hot and she was sure she was blushing. The brunette didn't seem phased by it and she didn't bring any attention to it.

"I'm Regina Mills." The woman said sitting on the edge of the bed, crossing one leg over the other.

"Emma, Emma Swan." The blonde said with a small smile.

"How are you feeling?" Regina asked returning the smile.

"Fine. Just a little thirsty and I have a bit of a headache." Emma said honestly.

Regina nodded. "Well you have a mild concussion. So that's to be expected." She turned her attention back to the other brunette who was standing by the door with her arms crossed watching the conversation. "Can you grab Miss Swan some water, please?" the woman nodded and quickly left the room. "You managed to fight off that many of those things with an injury like that. Either you are really strong or that was pure adrenaline. Both of which could be extremely useful."

"I was just trying to protect my son." The blonde replied with a shrug. Mary Margaret returned with a bottle and handed it over to Emma who took it and took a long drink. As soon as she put the bottle down she looked between the two women. "I'd like to see him now."

Regina looked at Mary Margaret who nodded again and headed out of the room. "Can I ask you how you ended up in a situation like that?"

"Um… The area looked clear so we decided to sleep there for the night and when we woke up that's what we found." She shrugged.

Regina nodded thoughtfully. "Well that happens. Anyway you're safe here."

"Where is here?"

"A few miles off from where we found you." The brunette replied simply. "It's a small farm house in the middle of nowhere. We've been here for a few days and we have yet to see any of those things out here." She gestured to the bed. "We were going to move on but you were in no condition to travel. You should be fine in a day or two then we're moving on. You're more than welcome join us."

Emma started to ask her where they were heading but she was interrupted by Henry running into the room and into her arms. "Mom, I was so worried you wouldn't wake up."

Wrapping her arms around him Emma looked over his head at the woman standing from the bed. "How long was I out?"

Regina turned and shrugged. "Three days." When Emma's jaw dropped she added. "I've seen people unconscious longer and with an injury like that it's a miracle you woke up at all." She nodded towards the boy in the blonde's arms. "I'll give you a moment. I'll have someone bring you some food." She smiled at the boy who was smiling up at her. "Henry." She said before leaving.

He turned back to his mother and hugged her tighter, she squeezed him equally tight. "You did great back there, kid." She whispered to him.

"No I didn't." he choked out. His body was shaking, she knew that he was trying not to cry. "I didn't listen to you. I couldn't leave you to die. I would rather die with you than let you die alone."

"Oh Henry," she sighed pulling him closer and hugging him tighter as he gave way to the sobs. She started rubbing soothing circles on his back until his sobs calmed down. "I'm sorry. I will never let you even think you're going to lose me ever again." She pulled back, took his face into her hands and looked into his eyes. "I promise, okay?" when he nodded she pulled him back into the hug and cradled his head against her chest.

After a few moments he pulled back and sat back on his heels. His face still streaked with tears, his mother wiped them away. He sniffed, and smiled at his mother's smile. "These people are really cool. Mary Margaret is really sweet and Regina is really pretty but she's so serious."

Emma laughed at this because that woman looked like she had never laughed in her entire life. "Yeah I know. Tell me about these guys you're hanging around."

"Graham, Killian and David?" he exclaimed happily. "Killian is the one that carried you back. I still don't understand how he managed to do that."

"What do you mean?" she asked raising an eyebrow at her son wondering if he was making a statement about her weight.

"No, no, no" he said quickly. Not even noticing his mother's grin. "He only has one hand. The other one is gone, there's a hook in its place like a pirate." He laughed when his mother's eyebrows shot into her hairline. "I swear. David and Graham call him Captain Hook like the cartoon. He hates it." he thought for a moment. "He even talks like a pirate and dresses like one."

"I have to see this character." She said before they both burst into a fit of giggles which hurt more than helped her condition but it helped ease the tension and worry on her son's face so it was worth it.

A soft knock on the door frame interrupted their giggle session. They both looked at Mary Margaret who was standing there with a tray in her hand. "Regina requested I bring you this, if you're up for eating." She said stepping into the room, she looked at Henry. "Hey buddy, Regina requested you come eat with her and give your mom time to relax while she eats then you can come right back." He nodded at the dark haired woman and hugged his mother again before standing from the bed. They both watched him as he walked to the door frame, turned back and waved at his mother one last time before disappearing down the hall. "She says she wants to give you a chance to eat." She said placing the tray on Emma's lap. "but she just wants to spend more time with him. She really likes him. I've watched her with him and a few times her face twisted into something resembling a smile." Sitting on the edge of the bed she added "She's been caring for him the most since you've been out."

Emma smiled. "Well he does have that effect on people. He's a special kid." She looked down at the tray there was a bowl with chicken noodle soup, obviously from a can and another bottle of water.

"Doc says you should eat light. You just woke up after a few days and you haven't had anything on your stomach in a while. Luckily for us we found a few of these cans in a house on a run." Mary Margaret noted. After the blonde nodded she started to stand but a hand reached out and wrapped around her arm.

"Keep me company?" Emma asked. She hated asking anyone for anything but she really didn't want to be alone. When the brunette settled back on to the bed she asked. "Who's Doc?"

"Oh. He's this guy we picked up on the road. He has medical training so Regina and Graham found him useful enough to keep around." She said with a shrug.

"So Regina is in Charge?" Emma asked scooping a spoonful of soup into her mouth.

"Well… she wouldn't say in charge, no one else wanted to lead so she stepped up. She's done a superb job. She kept all of us alive and out of danger." She replied thoughtfully. "Graham is like her second in command; he does most of the heavy lifting so she doesn't have to. I think he's sweet on her but can you blame him? Men nowadays love strong women."

Emma nodded "Does she? Like are they an item?" she had no idea why she was asking this, why was she interested in this woman's love life? She wasn't even interested in her own love life.

The other woman shook her head quickly with a small chuckle. "She barely even looks at him. She dodges Killian's advances as well but you can't blame her for that one." She lowered her voice and leaned closer to Emma. "But I don't think she's attracted to men. Our group was much bigger but we split up. The woman who took the other group… well, lets just say that there was some kind of sexual tension always present when they were around each other. She clearly wanted that woman like Graham wants her and that woman wanted her just as badly." For the second time today Emma found her eyebrows shooting into her hairline. She also felt a tiny bit of jealousy and she couldn't understand why. "Also the fact that she isn't attracted to a hottie like Graham is a dead give away."

"Well…" Emma started while dipping the spoon into the soup before popping it into her mouth. "I don't know what this Graham looks like but I'll take your word for it. I doubt I'll be attracted to him though…" she took a swig of her water, before adding. "Not my type." At the brunette's curious expression she sighed with a smile. "I like lady parts."

"Oh" Mary Margaret gasped. "So are you attracted to Regina?" she whispered even though it was just the two of them in the room...

Emma shook her head. She most certainly was but she wasn't going to tell her that. "Just because we're both lesbians doesn't mean we're automatically attracted to each other, Mary Margaret." The woman's cheeks flushed pink. "No it's cool, she's beautiful but not my type, too serious."

"Okay...but your son…"

Emma smirked. "The best mistake I ever made. If only all of my poor decisions could turn out as great as him."

"What about his father?"

Emma started feeling the drumming in her brain again. She couldn't tell if it was the mention of Henry's father or the concussion causing it. "Maybe a story for another time?" she said rubbing her temples.

"Oh." Mary Margaret said jumping up from the bed starting to dig into her pocket. She pulled something out, placed her hand in front of Emma and opened her palms revealing two aspirins. Emma took them from her, popped them into her mouth and washed them down with a long sip of water. "Did you get enough food?" she asked gesturing to the now bowl. Emma nodded. "Okay so I'll just take this." She leaned over picking up the tray. "I'll send Henry in. Would you like me to come back?" she nodded at Emma's nod and quickly exited the room.

Emma laid her head back on the pillow. She started massaging her temples again, by the time Henry entered the room she was already drifting back to sleep. She felt him curl into her side. knowing it was too early for him to take a nap but she didn't care, she needed to know he was safe in order for her to rest and she could guarantee that if he was right there snuggled beside her he was fine. She heard Mary Margaret enter the room and as she felt the blankets being pulled over her and Henry she slipped into another deep sleep.

* * *

She awoke this time to the sound of hushed voices. One of an older man, another one which she decided was Regina and the other was obviously Mary Margaret.

"She should be fine by tomorrow. Not completely healed but well enough to travel." She heard the older man say.

"But she slept for an entire day and a half and three days before that." She heard Mary Margaret whisper fiercely.

"How long was she up yesterday?" the man asked.

"About 40 minutes." Regina replied.

"Then what happened?" he asked.

"She started complaining of a headache." Mary Margaret whispered. "I gave her the aspirin; she took them and went to sleep."

"That's fine. She's healing. She'll be ready." He whispered. "Regina sweetheart, if you need me, I'll be outside helping with the vehicles."

"Thanks Doc." Regina said quietly.

"Of course." He said then his boots started heading for the door and the sound faded as he exited the room.

"What if she doesn't want to go with us?" She heard Mary Margaret whisper, worry in her voice.

"Then we'll give her and Henry some supplies and send them on their way or they can stay here. It's up to her." Regina said simply.

"Okay." Mary Margaret sighed.

"I'm going to go see what the boys are doing. Call me when she wakes up, yeah?"

"Of course."

After she heard Regina's steps fading Emma cracked an eye open. "I'm assuming that was the elusive Doc?"

Mary Margaret's eyes shot to her. "um… yes." She said coming around from where she was standing at the foot of the bed to the side of it and sitting down. "He not elusive. He's actually quite easy to get a hold of, if you would like to speak to him..."

Emma shook her head. "Nope. I heard him. I'll be fine by tomorrow; I hope that means I can get out of this damn bed."

The brunette smiled. "Yes you'll be up and about." Then her face got serious. "Wait how much of that did you hear?"

Emma shrugged. "Just the last part." She sat up in the bed; it didn't hurt so much this time. "Where are you all going?"

Mary Margaret hesitated for a moment as if trying to decide if she should tell. "Well there's this town in Maine. It's called Storybrooke. They supposedly built these tall strong walls; the population is really small so limited risk for infection. That's where the rest of our group went."

"So we're going to Maine from Pennsylvania?" Emma asked as she cocked an eyebrow. "How are we getting there?"

"So you're coming?"

Emma shrugged. She didn't see why not. She and Henry have been just drifting from place to place since the outbreak began so even hope of a permanent place for them was good enough for her. "Yeah, I don't see why not."

Mary Margaret smiled. "Okay well they're out there reinforcing the cars, making them zombie proof. Adding gates to the windows and putting broken saws on the sides to keep them from getting too close. It seems like a pretty good idea."

"All the cars?"

"Yep. Except yours. We didn't know if you wanted it."

"Wait, my car is here?

"Yes your son followed us here in it."

Emma almost leaped into the air. Her yellow bug was the only thing she loved even close to as much as she loved Henry. They have been through so much together she couldn't even imagine parting with it; she didn't even bother to ask about it fearing it was abandoned on the side of the road. "I would love if they hooked it up with some anti zombie stuff."

"I'm pretty sure that tin contraption is already zombie proof. No one or anything is getting into that thing." Both women's heads snapped to the doorway where they saw Regina standing holding a tray. "Mary Margaret, I specifically asked you to call me when she woke up."

Mary Margaret leapt up from the bed. "You're right, I'm sorry but Emma said she will be joining us to Maine."

"Oh?" Regina said walking over to the bed placing the tray on Emma's lap. "Well I'm glad to hear it." She smiled. "Mary Margaret Dear, could you go inform Henry that his mother is awake." She turned her attention to the other brunette. "But tell him she's eating so give her a moment. Oh and see if there's anything you could help the boys with. I'd like a moment with Miss Swan."

Once the other woman left the room they just stared at each other waiting for the other to speak. It was a deep silence but it wasn't awkward in the least. Emma looked down at her tray it was a fruit cocktail, obviously from a can. She stuck her spoon in and shoveled some into her mouth.

Regina cleared her throat. "Do you mind if I keep you company Miss Swan?"

Emma shook her head. "Of course not, and you can call me Emma." She said followed by a slight wink. _What the hell am I doing?_

The brunette smirked. "Okay Emma. Where are you from?" she asked sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Canada actually but I was here in the US visiting some friends in Ohio when everything went to shit."

"Canada, huh?" the blonde nodded. "So, you're Canadian?" the woman shook her head. "So, how'd you end up there?"

"I'm a bail bonds person. Well… was and a friend of mine needed help with catching this guy up there. I went, I loved it so I stayed." She watched as the brunette nodded thoughtfully. "What about you?"

"New York City."

"What did you do there?"

"Lawyer."

Emma whistled "Fancy."

Regina shrugged lightly. "It's not all it's cracked up to be. Any Family besides young Mr. Swan?"

Emma shook her head. "Nope. You?"

"No."

"No Mr. Mills? I find that Hard to believe."

"Why?"

Emma shrugged awkwardly "I don't know…" _shit._

A knowing smirk formed across Regina's lips. "No, Mills is my maiden name. I never married much to my mother's disappointment. God rest her soul."

"Did she die during…?"

"Yep."

"I'm sorry."

"So am I and on the other hand I'm not." At the blonde's confused expression she continued. "She spent my whole life chewing out my father for every little thing… well he got sick, turned and bit back." Her eyes locked on green ones. "Don't get me wrong, not a single day goes by that I don't miss them, they were all I had but my mother… she was, well maybe its best she isn't around right now."

"I'm sorry." Emma sighed again. The brunette just nodded her thanks.

They fell into silence again. After a few moments Emma spoke up hoping to lighten the mood. "I hear Henry took a liking to you."

She watched a full smile light up the woman's face and then just like that it was gone. "He's a wonderful boy. I enjoy spending time with him."

"People say he's just like me." Emma said wagging her eyebrows, receiving a chuckle from the other woman. _Shit control yourself, Swan._ "You don't believe me?" the other woman just raised an eyebrow. _Okay that's hot_. "You'll just have to get to know me better then."

"Well I plan to." The brunette said, her voice dropping dangerously low. She smirked again when the blonde's eyes grew wide.

Either she's really flirtatious or she's actually into Emma and the blonde definitely did not see that coming. The brunette was putting it out there and Emma was just sitting there, her jaw almost hanging open. Once she snapped herself out of it she cleared her throat. "I'll be looking forward to it." _real smooth Swan_.

Regina hummed. "I bet you will."

Regina wasn't quite sure what it was but she found herself oddly drawn to this woman in a way she hadn't been to anyone before. She felt like she could talk to this woman who she's only known for a few days about anything and tell her everything. It was both a thrilling and scary feeling but she liked it. The young, playful, blonde officially had her attention.

As soon as Emma opened her mouth to say something a tiny, faint knock on the door frame cut her off. "Mom." A tiny voice said.

Both women looked towards the door. There stood a small child, no older than about four, with matching brown eyes and hair. "Yes sweetie?" Regina asked looking at the child.

"Graham sent me to come get you. He needs to ask you something."

"I thought you didn't have any family." Emma whispered.

"I don't. Well... biological family." Regina said simply. "His parents were friends of mine. I'll tell you the story later." She turned back to the boy. "Roland sweetie, come say Hello to Miss Swan."

He raised a tiny hand to wave as he walked into the room. "Hello." A tiny voice whispered. Emma couldn't help but smile as she was attacked with memories of Henry at that age.

"Hey kid." Emma smiled.

The little one walked right up to Regina, climbed into her lap and instantly rested his head on her chest. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed him gently. Kissing him softly on his head she whispered. "Let's go see what your uncle wants. He's such a big dummy." The little boy burst into a fit of giggles as she stood from the bed with him still in her arms. She turned back to Emma. "He's so silly, this one." she nodded towards the small child who was still giggling. "I'll send Mary Margaret for your tray and I'll see you for lunch."

Emma had no idea why but when the brunette said she was going to return it excited her. "Oh" Regina said when she reached the doorway. "Should I tell Henry you're ready to see him?" Emma nodded, she smiled. "Alright, but I want him back eventually." Emma couldn't help but grin at that as the brunette exited the room.

* * *

She had spent most of the day sitting in bed and playing cards with Henry. He had borrowed the cards from the one handed pirate guy. She seriously had to see this person. Her mind kept drifting to the beautiful brunette who sat on the edge of her bed and flirted with her for like two seconds and already sent her heart cartwheeling. The most appealing part was that the dark haired beauty knew exactly what she was doing and she was enjoying every second of making Emma sweat. Now, Emma knew there were way more important things going on besides her silly crush that she developed in a total of about ten minutes. For example a horde of zombies attacking them right now but try to tell her heart that. It had to be watching the woman interact with her small child that had the blonde hitting the floor.

A soft knock of tiny knuckles snapped her out of her thoughts. Speak of the beautiful angel. She looked up and saw Regina holding a tray and Roland hidden behind her leg peeking. Just when she thought this kid couldn't get any cuter... bam! "I told you I'd be back for lunch." Emma had to suppress a smile and gave a slight nod instead. "Roland sweetie, look who it is."

The little boy peeked again. His eyes grew two sizes when he saw Henry. "Henry!" he yelped detaching himself from his mother and running to the bed where Henry was sitting.

"Hey Roland," Henry said with a huge smile as the little boy climbed onto the bed and into his lap.

"I got a new ball." Roland practically sang. "Well it's _our_ ball."

"Graham found a soccer ball on his run." Regina added placing the tray on Emma's lap. She turned to Henry. "Honey, I'm such a terrible mommy."

"No!" Roland protested. "You're the best mommy in the whole wide world."

She stopped and smiled at him. "Thank you sweetie." She turned back to Henry. "Well I would be a better mommy if I knew how to play soccer. Do you think you could take him outside and play with him for a while?" Both of the boy's faces lit up and they scrambled off the bed and almost flew out of the door. "Stay where David and Graham can see you!" she called after them.

"Okay." They both called back.

Shaking her head while sitting on the bed. She gestured towards the door. "I try to give Roland some kind of normalcy. I know things aren't normal anymore. He doesn't have a false sense of reality." She laughed to hersef. "He's four and knows how to fire a gun, shoot a crossbow and use a knife to cause fatal injury."

Emma whistled. "Remind me to not say no to him if he ever asks me for a cookie."

Regina chuckled shaking her head. "We don't let him handle them but in case we get separated from him or anything happens to us..."

Emma nodded. "No, I get it. But I have to let you know that he's probably out there killing my son in soccer, he's not the most athletic kid. He's never been very active and maybe it's too much junk food." When Regina just raised an eyebrow at her she added "I had no idea the world was going to end."

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Don't worry dear, we'll get Henry in excellent shape."

"I need to get whipped into shape too" Emma face palmed as soon as she said it. _I_ _can't believe I just said that. She's going to think I'm some kind of pervert._ She felt fingers curl around her wrist pulling her hand from her face. When she opened her eyes they were met amused brown ones.

"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Regina sighed. Her expression turning serious.

"No." Lie. "I'm just really awkward." Half lie. "I'm like that with mostly everyone." Big, fat, lie. "Except Henry." Well at least there was some honesty.

"Okay." The brunette nodded thoughtfully. "If I ever make you feel uncomfortable please tell me."

Shit. "Yeah definitely."

With the awkwardness out the way the two women launched into a long conversation that went on for over an hour. They talked about everything from their previous lives to their current ones and what seemed to last the longest was the conversation about their sons. Emma laughed at the silly four year old things Roland did and Regina smiled at the weird preteen things twelve year old Henry did.

"Do I have that to look forward to that tiny tiger in there doing that?" Regina asked gesturing to the empty doorway.

Emma nodded. Scrunching up her nose she said "Yup and then some."

Regina playfully rolled her eyes, followed by a chuckle. "Lucky me."

Emma wasn't quite sure but she had a feeling that she was seeing a very different side of Regina Mills, A relaxed and looser version, a complete opposite of the woman who appeared in the doorway almost two days ago. Emma couldn't help but smile at the smile lighting up the other woman's face. "You should do that more often."

"What?" Regina asked, brows drawing together in confusion.

"Smile."

"I haven't had much of a reason to smile in the last year." The brunette shrugged. "Well, except for Roland."

"Now, he's a cute one. He could brighten anyone's day."

Regina hummed in agreement but when she opened her mouth she was cut off by a knock on the doorframe. They both internally growled and looked towards the doorway. Emma had to stop herself from an eyeroll when they saw Mary Margaret standing there. "Yes?" Regina asked calmly.

"Graham needs you."

"Okay" Regina said. Standing from the bed. "I'll go see what he wants." She reached over and picked up the tray. "I have to check the area tonight so I wont see you for dinner but I'll see you in the morning." She paused as if waiting for a reply and when Emma nodded she nodded back and headed out of the room.

Mary Margaret stepped into the room taking Regina's place on the bed. "So are you excited to finally get out of this bed?"

Emma groaned. "You have no idea."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. I'm trying to stick to their personalities but it's hard in this AU. I really wanted their relationship to build slowly but Emma had other plans so apparently we're jumping right into it. If this chapter seemed a little dry I apologize, I was just trying to introduce the characters and who they were in this au. I'm thinking of doing flashbacks of the character's lives before the outbreak just to give a feel of who they are in the au. I decided to make Regina the leader because I don't see many stories where she's a leader. She has the ability to lead and I want to show that. What do you think of her adopting Roland? Also, who do you think Mary Margaret was talking about when she said Regina "wanted that woman like how Graham wanted her and the woman wanted her just as badly" any guesses? (Shes a character from the show). Future SQ cuteness and sexy times. Warning for future character deaths. More zombies of course. Visit me on tumblr - fullonswanqueenmode - come say hi. Anyway I won't keep you. I'll see you at the next update which will be real soon since chapter 2 is already written, just needs to be revised. Reviews are GREATLY appreciated, let me know how I'm doing.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey! *waves shyly* I told you it wouldn't take long. Thanks for the reviews, favs and follows you have no idea just how much I appreciate it. Heads up for violence in this chapter. I don't want to give too much away... So yeah, I don't own any of these characters. Also all mistakes are mine. Okay so here's chapter 2. Enjoy! :)**

Chapter 2

Emma awoke early the next morning. She turned over to see her son lying beside her wide awake looking as though he had been up for hours; he was just laying there flipping through a comic book. "Good Morning." She said as she sat up and stretched.

"Good morning." He replied smiling at his mother. "Mary Margaret says you're getting out of this stupid bed today."

"I know." She said rubbing her eyes. "How long have you been up?"

"Few hours."

"Did you eat?"

"Yes." He said thoughtfully. "I'll go tell them you're awake so they can bring you your food." He quickly got up out of the bed and ran out of the room.

A few minutes later Mary Margaret appeared with the tray. She placed the tray on her lap, the usual routine. "So, you're getting up and about to day. I bet you're relieved." She removed some items she had tucked under her arm and placed it on the bed. It was a fresh white tank top, blue jeans, underwear and some toiletries. At the blonde's curious expression she shrugged. "Sometimes we find useful things on our runs." She smiled. "After this you can shower. There's running water but its cold. Better than nothing I suppose. I don't suggest drinking it though."

Emma nodded swallowing the food. "Thanks."

"Of course."

* * *

Just as Mary Margaret had said Emma was up, showered and was currently wandering through the small farm house. After opening and closing all the doors on the top floor she found that all the rooms were decorated exactly the same with off white wallpaper and pale floral print. Whoever lived here originally obviously didn't have any children since there weren't any rooms decorated for a child. They were obviously elderly because it looked like the home hadn't been decorated in years.

She headed downstairs; each wooden step creaked under her boot. When she nosily reached the bottom floor she heard hushed voices and followed the sounds to the small dining room. There she found Regina surrounded by Mary Margaret and another brunette with a red streak in her hair that Emma hadn't met yet.

"Hey." Emma said as she entered the room shoving her hands in her back pockets.

Mary Margaret and the younger brunette looked up at her and both yelled. "Hey."

"Hello Emma." Regina said not looking up from the box of bullets she had in her hand. "Please, have a seat."

As soon as the blonde plopped down in the chair on the opposite side of the table Mary Margaret spoke up. "Emma this is Ruby." She said gesturing to the younger woman across from her. "Ruby, this is Emma."

Ruby waved at Emma with a warm smile, Emma smiled and nodded back. Her eyes wandered over to Regina who was placing down another box next to a pretty tall pile of them. Emma studied the her as the woman studied the boxes. Brows furrowed in concentration, Her full lips pressed together in a straight line. Although Emma loved Regina's smile she had to admit that the serious expression on the woman's face was also quite beautiful.

Regina cleared her throat "Okay that's it, Mary Margaret. I think that should be enough for now." Mary Margaret nodded before getting up and placing the boxes into a gray duffle bag. "I'm going to check the perimeter really quickly." She turned her attention to the blonde. "Emma do you mind?"

"Huh?" Emma said looking up at her, knowing that she had probably gotten caught staring again.

"Would you like to go with me?"

"Oh, yeah sure." The blonde replied jumping up from the seat. The brunette reached under the table and pulled out a crossbow. Emma's eyes widened. "Oh, so you're the bad ass that was taking them out with the arrows."

Regina shrugged. "And Mary Margaret."

Mary Margaret blushed. "It was most likely Regina.

Regina smirked. "Mary Margaret and I were both taught by Ruby's grandmother. She's incredible with a crossbow.

Emma nodded. "Where's she now?" She asked, fearing the answer.

"She went ahead with the other group." Ruby replied. The blonde nodded.

"Shall we?" Regina asked turning on her heels.

Emma nodded and followed Regina through another doorway, into the kitchen and out the door. She inhaled the fresh air. The sun was blinding. She had to blink a few times to adjust. Being in that dark room clearly took its toll on her eyes. After a few moments of constant blinking they adjusted. It was still much too bright but bearable.

They walked around what looked to be a makeshift fence with little cans attached to it to it; every now and then Regina would stop and jiggle the metal to check it and the cans would make a 'clanking' sound when they hit against the metal chains.

This was a particularly warm day for early spring in Pennsylvania. Emma would actually be enjoying this day if it wasn't for the possibility of a zombie jumping out at any moment and tearing her face off. She looked up at Regina whose brows were furrowed deep in thought.

"Hey." Emma said snapping the woman out of her thoughts when wide brown eyes fell on her she smiled. "I never got to thank you for saving our asses back there."

Regina just shrugged slightly. "I didn't do anything that any decent person wouldn't have done.

Emma scoffed. "You and I both know that there aren't many decent people left. Most of them are dead."

"That's true and you're welcome." the brunette said with a small smile, Emma met her with a smile and they just stood there like that. Fighting an urge to reach out and touch the blonde, Regina stepped back and clapped her hands together. "So, why don't we introduce you to the three idiots your son has been spending so much time with?" After a receiving quick nod she led the blonde to the back of the house.

There were two vehicles and Emma's bug parked in a line. Three men were standing in front of it. It looked as though they were reinforcing a gate on the windows. Regina cleared her throat and all three of them turned around at the same time.

"What's up?" the tall scruffy one asked. Emma recognized his voice as the one who found Henry.

"Graham, this is Emma." Regina said. So that's Graham. She had to admit even she found him mildly attractive. "Emma, this is Graham" she said pointing to him. She pointed to the man next to him, with a really short buzz cut and clean shaven. "This is David. Mary Margaret's husband." He waved. She gestured to the one next to him. He had jet back hair and beautiful eyes. "And this is Killian." He provided a very over dramatic bow.

Regina and Emma both rolled their eyes but Emma's eyes came back to his hand, well his wrist rather. Right where his hand was supposed to be sat a metal hook. "Oh my god." She whispered to the brunette next to her. "I thought Henry was exaggerating about the hook thing."

Regina chuckled. "Nope."

"Well, okay then."

"Well, this is a nice little piece of machinery you have here." Graham said giving the roof of the bug two smacks. "Strong."

"Thanks." Emma said turning back to him.

"Too damn bright to my liking." He added thoughtfully "but it's tough. That's all that matters."

"Okay." Regina said slapping her hands together. "Get back to work. I want to be the hell out of here by noon tomorrow. Are we close?"

"Yes." David said before turning back to the car. "Have a look."

They both looked at the cars. The black Mercedes and pick up truck had gates on the windows, metal reinforcements on the doors and sharp objects on the sides.

"After this baby right here is finished our zombie apocalypse vehicles will be ready." Killian said joining the other two men.

"Excellent." Regina said. Her eyes drifted to her left where she spotted Roland and Henry a few feet away kicking a ball back and forth. She nudged Emma with her elbow and pointed to the two boys playing. "It's been so long since he had someone to play with. We're always so busy trying to survive. Of course a four year old doesn't understand that."

They both just stood there grinning as their sons chased after the ball and Roland's little giggles rang through the yard. After a while Emma nudged Regina. "Hey, I'm going to go over there for a while." She gestured towards the boys.

Regina nodded. "I'm going to head in." she started to turn but she stopped. "You know you still have a concussion so do me a favor and don't get overheated. If you feel tired please come inside." Once Emma nodded the brunette turned on her heel and headed back into the house.

After watching the woman until she disappeared into the house Emma headed over to the two boys who were sitting on the grass and laughing. She shook her head and laughed to herself. It's been so long since she'd seen her son smile let alone laugh. "Hey, giggle monsters." She said once she reached them. They both looked up at her, Roland still giggling. She sat down in front of them. Crossing her legs she turned her attention to Roland. "You're pretty good at soccer, kid."

A huge grin formed across his face. "I used to be the best on my team."

"Oh you were on a team?" she grinned at him. "So you're a pro soccer player. Your mom didn't mention you were a pro athlete."

He giggled again shaking his head. "I'm just a kid. I played with other kids."

She nodded pretending she was just getting it. "Gotcha." She looked at the ball that had been discarded on the grass a few feet from them. She gestured to it. "What do you say you show me what you can do?"

His eyes widened. "Yeah!" he jumped up, ran over and grabbed the ball.

She winked at Henry. "Let's hope I don't pass out." He laughed as they both stood up.

* * *

She stayed outside with the boys most of the day. Soaking up the sun and breathing in the fresh air. After being confined to a bed for days and being confined to a car in the time prior it really was amazing. They ate lunch out there on the grass. Her mind constantly drifting to the beautiful brunette and wondering what she was doing at that moment. Hoping she would make a quick appearance just so she could get a glimpse of her.

They got to know Roland and learned a little about his four year old life. He seemed to avoid talking about his biological parents, Emma wasn't quite sure if it was because he didn't remember much about them or it was too painful to talk about. Although she did find out that he was also from New York and his mommy is very brave and very nice. Oh and Graham was his best friend but he was replaced by Henry because he's always too busy anyway. It was safe to say that by the time dinner rolled around Emma had a brand new, much younger friend who she had already formed an attachment to.

Everyone was heading in because it was getting dark. Roland took her hand and pulled her through the door, Henry close behind them. He pulled her through the small living room, through a hallway and into the dining room. He stopped at the table and climbed into a seat. She sat next to him and Henry sat on the opposite side of her. She glanced around the table and spotted an older man who must've been Doc seated next to a younger man. She had to suppress a groan when she noticed that Regina and Graham were missing. Just when she got ready to ask Mary Margaret where they were Roland cut in.

"Where's Momma?" He asked as Mary Margaret spooned something onto his plate that looked like stew but it has the strange smell of canned meat.

"She and your uncle are checking the perimeter sweetie." She said quietly. "She also told me that you better eat every drop."

He nodded. She moved over to Emma and did the same with her plate. After two scoops Emma stopped her. "Thank you."

"Um… Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The brunette nodded and moved over to Henry's plate, did the same then headed back to her seat. She filled her own plate and sat back down.

"Will she be back to tuck me in?" the tiny boy asked not looking up from his plate.

"She should." Ruby said. "Why? Don't you like bunking with me?" she asked playfully. "That hurts, bud."

"I do." He squealed. "I just miss her sometimes."

Both of the brunette women nodded. "She'll tuck you in but you're still bunking with me. She and Graham are checking everything so we can hit the road tomorrow."

"But I like it here." The small child said.

"Me too kiddo but it's not safe here. What we want is for all of us to be safe. We'll be safe in this new place okay?" Ruby said softly. After he nodded she smiled "Now eat before I eat you all up." This caused him to giggle a little and it somewhat eased the tension in the room.

"So." The older man said leaning closer over the table toward Emma. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better thanks." She said with a smile.

"You were very lucky." He said simply before turning back to his plate.

"Hi" the younger man next to him said. He was sitting directly across from Emma.

"I'm Seth but they call me Stealthy."

"No one calls you that, mate." Killian said from the opposite side of him.

"Well they should." he said with a shrug. "I'm really quick and really quiet so I'm…." he paused.

"Stealthy?" Emma smiled.

"Yes." He said returning a small smile.

"Well I wouldn't mind calling you that." She said matter-of-factly. "Has a nice ring to it."

* * *

Emma had been tossing and turning most of the night trying hard not to wake Henry who was asleep beside her. Her body desperately wanting and needing sleep but her mind wanting to wander and worry. She closed her eyes tight trying again. Her body was used to being on high alert at all times, never fully asleep but turned down enough to get the rest it needed. Those past few days when she was unconscious was the most sleep she'd gotten in months.

Henry had no problem falling asleep. He often did that with absolutely no problem sleeping soundly through the night until she woke him and told him that they had to move on. That hadn't been the case in the beginning though. When all hell broke loose and she and Henry had been moving from place to place, hiding in every little space they could find from cupboards to closets for the night the young boy would often cry himself to sleep in her arms and have continuous nightmares throughout the night. He's gotten much better by now but it was still a struggle for both of them.

She finally managed to fall asleep. Her mind drifting into a rare solace. After a few moments her eyes shot open to the sound of voices in the hallway. They were loud and the tones sounded frantic. The sound of boots clomping across the floor as someone ran across the wooden boards echoed through the bedroom door. Her eyes shot to the door as soon as it swung open. Regina stood there with a sleeping Roland in her arms, his little head rested on her shoulder. Her eyes were wide as they locked on Emma's.

"Okay good you're awake." She breathed. "Grab Henry, we have to get the hell out of here. There's some of them headed our way."

Emma sat straight up. "What? How many?"

"A lot. A Horde." Regina said before turning to leave. "Hurry. They're close. We don't have much time." Then just like that she was gone.

Emma reached over and shook Henry. "Henry, wake up." After a few more shakes the boy lazily opened his eyes. "Get up." She said shaking him again.

He sat up rubbing his eyes. "What?"

"A bunch of those things are headed our way, we have to get the hell out of here, kid." She sat up and swung her feet over the bed and started putting her boots on.

He started doing the same thing. They both silently gathered their things. Emma threw on her leather jacket and grabbed Henry who grabbed his sack and they headed down stairs. She followed what sounded like Regina barking orders at the other members of the group and found herself in the kitchen. Roland was sitting in a chair at the table, Regina affectionately running her fingers through his hair like Emma often does with Henry to comfort him. The little boy was sitting completely still looking down at his tiny hands. He didn't look scared; he looked almost like he was concentrating on something. Contemplating. He looked much older than four in that moment.

"What the hell happened, Graham? You told me that that horde you spotted was days away from here." Regina snapped.

"It was." Graham said picking up his gun from the table and sliding it into the holster on his hip. "It's not the same. This one is much larger." He picked up another gun. "That's why I suggest we get as far away from here as possible before the two groups come together." He finished before heading out of the door with one of the black duffle bags.

Regina growled. She closed her eyes and brought a hand up and pinched the bridge of her nose. Her other hand was frozen in Roland's hair. The little boy still hadn't moved a muscle.

"Regina?" Emma called quietly. The brunette's hand dropped down to her side and she turned to see Emma leaning against the frame of the entrance to the kitchen. Their eyes met and the woman visibly calmed down. "Are you alright?" The blonde asked pushing off the frame. She stepped a little closer into the room, Henry close behind her.

"Yeah I'm fine." Regina said leaning down to pick Roland up from the chair before grabbing her crossbow. "We should go." Regina slid her a gun across the table. "Your gun is still in your car but just in case." When the blonde picked it up she headed for the door. "Lets get the hell out of here."

As soon as they stepped outside they spotted Ruby running in their direction. She almost crashed into Regina. "Did you see Doc and Seth?" the young brunette asked looking between the two women who shook their heads. "Shit, they're still inside."

Regina looked out into the night. She gasped when she saw the shuffling movement of those things. They were getting closer and in a few moments they were going to be on them. She sighed warily before handing Roland to Emma. "I'll go find them. Can you…?" she didn't even have to finish the question before the blonde nodded, took the boy and hugged him to her chest.

"Mommy!" Roland squealed reaching out to his mother. she grabbed his little hand and kissed it.

"I'm right behind you but Emma is going to take care of you until I get back." She looked at the blonde who nodded again. "She's our friend remember?" the little boy nodded. "That's my good boy." She kissed his hand again before letting it go and running into the house with Ruby on her heels.

Emma felt a sense of dread wash over her. She patted the little boy's back before heading towards the bug. She wanted to go with Regina and she was planning to before she handed the little boy to her. For some reason she felt very protective of this woman she just met and this child. She wasn't sure whether it was the fact that the woman saved her life and Henry's, if it was the woman's protectiveness over her and Henry or it was something else but either way she needed her to be safe. She was thinking this as she strapped Roland into the backseat of her car beside Henry. She closed the door and leaned against it, facing the house and waiting.

"What the hell is taking them so long?" Ruby yelled as she followed Regina up the stairs.

"Doc? Seth?" Regina called down the hallway. A door swung open and the young man poked his head out.

"What the fuck?!" Ruby screamed from behind Regina throwing her arms up. "Get your asses moving right now!"

"We have to go right now." Regina said locking eyes with Seth, urgency in her voice. The boy disappeared into the room and reappeared with doc.

"I had to gather my medical supplies." The older man said when he stepped into the hallway in front of the two women.

"Great, let's get the fuck out of here." Ruby said turning on her heels and heading back down the stairs. Regina followed her with Seth and Doc coming up the rear. They made their way through the living room to the kitchen but when they reached the door Ruby froze and Regina bumped into her.

"What the hell?" Regina stepped around her to see what the wide eyed younger woman was staring at. Her own jaw dropped when she saw her group. They were fighting off part of the horde that reached them. Regina's eyes shot to Graham who tackled one to the ground before driving his knife into it's skull. He looked up and they locked eyes.

"Come on, Regina!" He yelled as he pulled another one down and did the same.

She placed her hand on Ruby's shoulder who flinched slightly. "Go ahead. I'll cover you." She whispered to her. She reached behind and pulled her gun from the waistband of her jeans and watched the younger woman do the same and pull out her own gun. She turned to the two men behind her. "Stay close to Ruby. Make your way to Graham." They nodded.

They all stepped out into the cool night air which was mixed with the stench of rotting flesh. A few stumbled towards them and Regina took the closest one out with her crossbow, the skull made a popping sound when the arrow hit it's skull. It fell to the ground causing the others to trip and tumble over it. They took the opportunity to run around them and towards the cars. Regina had to separate from them. They were all headed towards different cars. Ruby headed to Regina's Mercedes with Mary Margaret and David while Doc and Seth headed towards the pickup with Graham and Hook. Regina was supposed to get in the Mercedes as well but she was almost sure that Emma put Roland in her bug and she needed to be with him. She knew he was frantic right now worrying about her.

She spotted the yellow bug but didn't see Emma so she assumed that she and the boys were safely inside of it.

They heard a few gun shots sound around them and saw a few of the zombies collapsing before David's feet, They could see Mary Margaret taking a few out with her gun from the passenger seat behind him.

Regina looked over at Ruby and gave her a quick nod telling her to take off towards David. The woman did as she was told and took off in the direction of the black car. Narrowly escaping the hands of a few of them shuffling towards her. She circled a few of them causing them to stumble and fall down as a result the other's surrounding them fell as well. A trick Regina had taught the group. Since they couldn't reason and their motor skills were weak they were really easy to confuse and trip up. She reached the car and climb into the backseat safely.

They kept jogging towards the cars. She looked over at Graham again as he was smashing one of the thing's skulls up against the car. Once the corpse fell to the ground she saw Hook on the other side of him driving his hook into one of their heads. It collapsed to the ground. Regina whistled gaining the men's attention. They both looked up and drew their guns as if giving her the okay to send them over, She looked over her shoulder. "Go!" she watched as Doc and Seth ran towards the two men. She held her gun up and started taking out the two or three lunging at them. They were only a few feet away from the truck so she turned to head towards the bug but a loud blood curdling scream caused her heart to drop. She stopped dead in her tracks and turned to see Doc being dragged to the ground by a group of them. Without hesitation she made her way to them and she reached them just in time to see one of them tearing into Doc's arm with it's teeth pulling a big plug of flesh with them. She watched in horror as another bit into his neck and pulled out another chunk of flesh, She raised her gun and started firing. Graham started doing the same. After putting all of them down. She and Graham just stared at the old man laying on the ground. He was twitching and groaning in pain. His eyes were shut tight. Tears were running down his cheeks. Seth watched in horror as his friend began gurgling.

A few more closed in around them. "We have to do something." Graham said running a hand through his hair.

"Help me move him." Seth said falling to his knees. He reached over to touch him but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked up to see Killian. Sympathy in his eyes.

"You can't move him, mate." Killian said. "And he can't come with us."

"What?" Seth screamed. "We cant just leave him here to die alone." He looked up at the brunette. "Regina?"

"I'm sorry Seth, it'll do him more harm than good to move him and you know what happens when someone gets bitten. I'm sorry." She looked up again to see the rest of the horde closing in. "I'm so sorry." She repeated.

"Well, I'm not leaving him." Seth said shaking Killian's hand off his shoulder.

Regina eyed Doc who had stopped moving. His chest was barely moving. He was clearly dying and clearly in pain.

"Doc?" she said quietly. The man slowly cracked his eye open. "What do you want? Do you want me to…" she couldn't even finish the sentence. He knew what she was speaking of though, They had had that conversation many times. If either one of them were to get bit they would put the other out of their misery. The old man locked eyes with her before nodding.

She knelt down, placing her crossbow down beside her and inhaled deeply trying to not gag on the smell of death and fresh blood. She raised her gun but Seth grabbed her wrist. They didn't have time for this. She heard shots as Graham and Hook took down the ones surrounding them. The rest of the horde would definitely hear the shots. As if Doc had read her thoughts he reached up, grabbed Seth's hand and squeezed when the younger man locked eyes with him he started crying. Regina's heart broke. The old man was like a father to him and she knew what it was like to lose someone like that since she lost both of her parents to a similar fate. "I'm sorry she whispered."

She brought the gun to the man. The man she's come to see as a father figure herself. The man who has sat up many nights with her when the weight of keeping an entire group of people alive became too much, He comforted her better than her real father ever had. She felt a lone tear escape when she locked eyes with him. She saw a small apology in his wise eyes as if he was sorry for leaving them. She dipped her head before bringing the gun to his temple. "I'm sorry." She whispered before closing her eyes and pulling the trigger. It felt like time had frozen and every other sound around them was silenced as the shot echoed into the night. Opening her eyes she let them look everywhere but at the old man. She couldn't look at her friend's lifeless body. Grabbing her crossbow and rising to her feet she pulled a sobbing, distraught Seth with her.

Without looking down at Doc's corpse she looked to Graham. "Roland's in the car with Emma. I have to get to him."

He hesitated before shooting her a short nod. "I'll cover you, go." he said gesturing toward the bug with his gun.

Without another word she took off towards the car. Ducking under David's arm and narrowly missing one of Mary Margaret's bullets as she passed them. As she got closer she could see Emma in the front seat. Finally reaching the car door she went to opened it but was tackled to the ground, her crossbow and hitting the ground beside her. So there she was flat on her back wrestling with the corpse of a teenage boy. His teeth chomping close to her face. She kept him at arm's length. He must've been starving because he was really strong and usually when hunger sets in they get stronger and more aggressive. She tried to push him off of her but he wouldn't budge. He was slowly over powering her. She heard shoes shuffling and she groaned. Fuck, not another one. Suddenly the weight was lifted as the body was thrown from her. She sat up just in time to catch Emma pushing her knee into it's ribs before driving a knife into it's forehead. She watched as the blonde stood up from the lifeless body. The woman walked over to her and reached her hand out to her and she took it.

"Thank you." She said as the blonde helped her to her feet. She picked up her crossbow and reached over and grabbed her gun.

Emma shrugged. "Think nothing of it." She looked back toward the road. "Now let's get out of here." She jogged to the other side of the car and slid in just as Regina was sliding into the passenger's seat.

Regina's eyes wandered to the window to where she saw Graham climb into the car. She heard his horn honk, then after a beat David honked the horn on her car. She nudged Emma who honked her horn as well. Then one by one the cars pulled out of the yard of the small farm house narrowly missing the rest of the horde that had joined the others who had stopped to feast on Doc's still warm body. As gruesome as it was it still gave them the time they needed. As though Doc was still looking out for them and protecting them even in death.

As they pulled out on the road Regina turned in her seat to look back at Roland who was staring out the window with a blank expression, She knew he was scared but she was teaching him to be strong and to push that emotion aside. He did a good job. "Hey." She whispered. The little boy looked at her expectantly. "Are you alright?" he nodded. She scrunched up her nose. "Are you sure?" another nod. "Well, okay." she said before turning to Henry. "And you?"

"I'm fine. Thanks."

She looked at Emma, admittedly a little longer than she should have. She let her dark eyes wander over the woman's smooth pale skin taking in her beautiful features. "Are you alright, Miss Swan?" she managed to ask, her throat suddenly feeling dry.

"Well." The blonde started, eyes not leaving the road or the cars ahead of her that she would barely be able to see if it wasn't for the headlights. Luckily the sky was turning into a dark blue, the sun will be up soon. "I guess I'm okay as I could be after something like that. I've never encountered so many."

"Really?" Regina asked, surprise clear in her voice.

"Well yeah." Emma replied chancing a glance at the woman next to her who was watching her with wide eyes, there was something in them and she couldn't quite place it. "Henry and I have done a lot of hiding since this thing first started. We never stayed anywhere for long. We avoided the hell out of those things." She shrugged. "We were just lucky I guess."

Regina hummed. "Or just really smart." She said simply before turning her head to gaze out of the window. Feeling the weight of Doc's death finally fall on her shoulders. He had been such a kind man. He didn't deserve a death so brutal. She knew that she was going to have to really be there for Seth, He needed someone more than ever right now.

Emma quietly watched the woman beside her for a few moments. When the woman let out a small sigh she spoke up. "I'm sorry about Doc."

The brunette didn't look back at her. "Thank you, Miss Swan."

"Seriously Regina, we've saved each other's lives. I think you can start calling me Emma. Just saying." She said turning her attention back to the road.

"Okay." Regina said turning to the blonde. "Emma."

Emma's heart skipped a beat as her name fell from those beautiful lips. "Thanks." She grinned.

Both women fell silent as they both turned their attention towards the road ahead of them. Neither of which knowing or even wanting to know what dangers lie ahead for their group.

* * *

 **Wow. I'm sorry about that. RIP Doc. I really hope his death wasn't too early and too violent. How about that bad ass zombie slaying swan queen, huh? ;) I'm really excited because they're in the car together for the trip so they'll get to know each other better even though they're already bonding that will push it along. So my question for you is: do you think Regina will struggle with Doc's death? Do you think after losing a member of her group it'll make her question her leadership skills?**

 **Also visit me on tumblr for more SQ fun. My name on there is: fullonswanqueenmode. As always reviews are greatly appreciated. Let me know how I'm doing and what you think of the characters and story so far. I hope you had as much fun reading this chapter as as I had writing it! See ya at the next update! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey! Sorry this took so long. I had a little writer's block but I'm back. I hope this chapter is good if it's not I apologize in advance. As always thank you for the follows, reviews and favs. I appreciate them a lot. I don't own anything except for the zombies (lol) All mistakes are mine. Violence warning. Okay so here it is, chapter 3!**

Chapter 3

 _Regina sat on the side of the road. Head in her hands, praying to whichever god who would listen for just a tiny second to close her eyes. Not a full nap but enough to just not feel like her body was trying to balance twenty elephants on each of her shoulders. Her neck was tight and her back was screaming and it felt like the more she stretched the tighter her joints became. She hadn't slept in… well... she had lost count of the days and she was starting to feel the pressure. She was used to running on very little sleep. Her job pushed her into ridiculously long hours but she had never went days without resting. At her job she sat behind a desk for hours or spent hours in a courtroom which at the time seemed like a lot of work but at this point it felt like nothing. Now she's running on twenty minutes of sleep and dodging flesh eating corpses almost every damn day. Her head was pounding, her thoughts were jumbled and her mind was consuming her. She passed exhausted months ago._

 _To think a few months ago she only had to care for herself which she admitted that she could've done a much better job at but reasoned that her career rarely left her enough time to take care of herself like she should have. Now she had a group of people to keep alive and it terrified the hell out of her. If it was just her it would be much easier but then again she'll be alone and no one should be alone in this world._

 _She let out a half growl half groan drowning in her thoughts and worries. She was jolted_ _back to the present when she heard a shuffling coming from the woods behind her, when she heard a twig snap she grabbed her knife laying beside her. She shot to her feet and waited. The familiar quickening of her breathing and the hair standing up on the back of her neck when she knew that one of them was close. She stood her ground and quietly waited, she could see a puff of white as she exhaled into the cold winter air. When she heard the sound getting closer she prepared herself to lunge forward to take it down before it even noticed her._

 _She sensed the presence right on top of her. She got ready but was stopped by a familiar voice and the familiar face popping out from behind a tree._

 _"Regina?" she heard the voice of the older man._

 _"Doc?" she sighed half relieved and have annoyed. She lowered her hand. "What the hell are doing in the woods? It's not safe."_

 _He shrugged stepping around the tree. "I'm an old man. I needed to stretch these old bones." A warm smile coming across his face._

 _"And clearly scare me to death in the process." She said lowering herself back to the ground._

 _The older man walked over and sat beside her. "Is everything alright?" He chuckled at the woman's raised brow. "I meant besides the world ending."_

 _"Yeah, everything is fine." She replied a little too quickly._

 _"I don't believe that for a moment." He said. "I know that you have to be strong for the group but its okay to not be okay sometimes."_

 _She shook her head. "I don't have time to drown in my feelings. I have a group of people to keep from getting eaten alive. I need to focus on that."_

 _The man nodded slowly, a look of understanding on his face. "Maybe that's what your problem is."_

 _The woman furrowed her brows. "What do you mean?"_

 _"You carry the weight of this group on your shoulders alone. You don't let anyone help you carry any of it."_

 _"Because these people's lives are in my hands, Doc." She buried her face in her hands. "What if I mess this up? God! I'm in way over my head."_

 _"You won't. You're keeping these people safe and fed. If it weren't for you a lot of us wouldn't have made it this far. Including myself so whatever happens tomorrow at least we had today." He reached over and gave the woman's shoulder a squeeze and when she looked up at him he gave her a warm smile. "You're a good leader, Regina. Despite whatever happens don't ever forget that."_

* * *

Emma's eyes kept drifting to the woman in the passenger's seat. It was more than obvious that even though the woman was here physically her mind was miles away from here. Back where Doc's corpse lied. Watching the woman silently mourn her friend showed how fortunate Emma was to only have herself and Henry. She only had to worry about herself and him. This kept her head clear and in turn kept the two of them alive. It was easier that way. Less people meant less danger that's how she always saw it and yet here she was traveling with an entire group of people. In a car beside a woman she was slowly finding herself caring too much for.

She turned back towards the woman. "hey." She said pulling the woman's attention from the window. "How are you holding up?"

The brunette just shrugged. "Honestly?" she asked. The blonde nodded. "I feel like shit. I let him die."

Emma looked over at the woman again, the early morning sun playing across her features. "Regina, there was no way you could have known that that would happen."

"Exactly. I should have paid better attention."

"But I heard Graham say that horde came out of nowhere…"

"I should have gone with him to the car." Regina said turning back to gaze out of the window once again.

"Then you'll be exactly where he is." Emma said bluntly. "You did what was right; you put your child first. No one can blame you for that."

"Except Seth."

"He'll understand. Not right away but in time."

When their eyes met briefly in the rearview mirror she could see the pain and heartache in those deep brown eyes before they flickered away. She wanted to do or say something to comfort the woman beside her but she was at a loss for words. Not being with this group for very long she didn't really know much about Regina but from what she has seen she could tell that this woman genuinely cared for these people and would do anything to keep them safe. She made the calls she needed to protect them no matter how difficult the decision. Doc's death was out of her hands. Time wasn't on their side and it was a miracle that any of them made it out alive.

Emma reached over and grabbed the woman's hand, laced their fingers together and squeezed as if they've done it a hundred times. The dark haired woman looked down at their hands for a moment then looked up and their eyes met as a small smile appeared on her lips and disappeared just as quickly.

"Hey." Emma said giving the hand another squeeze. "You're a great leader. I trust you with my life and Henry's." and that was truly saying something since Emma's whole life was spent not trusting anyone, keeping everyone at arm's length. A lifetime spent in foster care taught her this. Never trust too early, it usually ends in pain. She made an exception with Henry's father and that ended in heartbreak, embarrassment and an unwanted pregnancy that she had to endure on her own but it got her Henry and that's all that matters. She hadn't known this woman for long but she knew that their safety meant a lot to her.

She was finding herself breaking all of the rules that kept her and her heart safe for years for this woman. The scariest part was that she couldn't even bring herself to care.

Regina sighed. "I don't even trust myself."

"He trusted you. He knew what this world was like, he knew that he was in constant danger at all times and he still trusted you." She gave the hand another squeeze for good measure. "He still put his life in your hands because he believed in you. He knew you would do whatever it took to keep him alive. He saw that you are capable and he was obviously a wise man so that should count for something."

After trying to fight back the tears one escaped but before Regina could reach up and wipe it away Emma beat her to it, releasing her hand and using her thumb, running it along a soft olive toned cheek wiping it away before grabbing her hand again. There was a spark. Not physical but it jump started something in Regina's chest.

"Thank you." Regina said softly, not exactly sure whether she's thanking her for wiping her tears away, her comforting words or her faith in her but she was positive that she was thankful for Emma's presence in this moment.

Emma nodded checking the rearview mirror; the boys were still asleep, their heads rested on the doors, mouths hanging open. You wouldn't even think that they just had a near death experience. That's pretty much proof that the world has changed. The type of things that haunt children's nightmares have become such a common occurrence that it no longer effects their sleep. They can sleep peacefully despite the world around them. This is now the norm. This is now their life.

* * *

Driving for a few hours Regina seemed to be in better spirits. Her mood improving greatly. Whether if it was Emma holding her hand or her presence in general it seemed to have brought her peace. They heard a horn honk which signaled that someone needed to stop. Once all of the cars came to a stop Regina watched from her window as Graham stepped out of the truck and headed back towards them. He smiled as soon as he saw her.

"How are you holding up?" he asked resting his arms on the window and peering in at her.

"How's Seth?" she asked ignoring his question. It didn't matter how she was doing. The only thing that mattered was them. Her group, her family.

"He's holding up the best he can." Graham replied scratching his short beard. "He slept a little. I think he'll be much better once he gets some food in him."

"Okay, well, it's in your truck." Regina said dismissively knowing good and well that a little food couldn't ease the pain of losing someone. Especially in that way.

"Hey." He said reaching in and placing a hand on her shoulder. "You did well. You made nothing but good calls as usual. You couldn't have prevented that. None of us could have. There were too many of them and there was no way we could've kept an eye on everyone."

Regina shook her head. "I can't even look at him right now."

"That's fine. He knows it's hard on all of us." He said giving her shoulder a small squeeze before retracting his hand. "I'm going to take Killian and we're going to go see if we can find a gas station. We're low."

"Graham…" Regina sighed. "We have to stick together. That horde isn't that far behind and I'm sure they've merged with the one you spotted before by now."

He nodded thoughtfully considering this. "I wont be gone long." At her raised brow he sighed. "We won't go far, I promise."

"Fine."

"Alright." He said pushing off the door and heading back over to the truck where Killian was waiting. She watched them as they both walked off down the road talking about something that she was almost sure was stupid.

She turned back to Emma who had been watching her. "What?"

"He's got it bad." She replied with a grin.

"Graham?" the brunette said as her brows shot into her hairline. She shook her head. "No."

"Wait, you seriously can't see it?"

"We're friends."

"Okay but he wants to be more."

"What makes you such an expert on this subject?" Regina asked crossing her arms and leaning back into the seat.

"I've been there many times."

"On which side?"

"Both."

Regina looked at the woman next to her, studying her face. She saw something in her eyes between sadness and longing. "So why don't you just tell the person how you feel?"

"Fear."

"Of what?"

"Rejection."

Regina shook her head, "That's childish."

Emma grinned at that. "Is it?" she shrugged. "Rejection is devastating at any age."

"I suppose…" Regina concluded. Not really knowing what rejection feels like. Being the daughter of wealthy parents she was always the one being chased. All through high school and college she was the one doing the rejecting except occasionally she would stumble upon someone worthy of spending a night with her and that was it. She was not interested in being used, her mother did enough of that so instead she beat them to it and did the using.

"Have you done a lot of rejecting in your life, Regina?"

Regina shook her head. "There wasn't really a lot of time for dating. Juggling my career and all." That wasn't exactly a lie.

"So hypothetically..." Emma began, grin still present. "If I asked you if you would be open to being in a relationship in this world... with the way things are... what would you say?" She quickly added, "hypothetically that is."

Regina studied the blonde for a moment trying to figure out if there was another reason for this question other than curiosity. When she deemed the blonde's expression unreadable she smirked. "I would be open to it." She replied simply. "What about you?"

"Same. Life is short especially now. I wouldn't want to miss out on something amazing for fear of losing it." Emma replied. Satisfied with the answer she received for her own question. The brunette hummed in agreement.

They both fell silent. Regina watched as Mary Margaret and David climbed out of the car and headed to the truck pulling out the black duffle sifting through it and pulling out a few cans. Mary Margaret walked around and stuck one through the window and handed it to Seth. Then she and David made their way back and handed one to Ruby and headed towards the bug.

"Hey, Regina." Mary Margaret said handing Regina a can that she passed to Emma. Then she handed her two more for the boys that she placed on the dash. "The boys are asleep, huh?"

"I'm not surprised." David added. "That was quite an ordeal they went through last night."

His wife nodded in agreement. "I'm sorry about Doc." She said quietly.

"Thank you. How's Ruby?"

"A little shaken but otherwise okay." David replied.

"Is Seth eating?" Regina asked.

"I saw him open the can when we handed it to him." Mary Margaret said.

"Okay, thank you." She said giving them a small smile.

"Hang in there, Regina." Mary Margaret said before following David to the car.

Regina sat her can on the dash as well. She couldn't eat especially with the memory of those things tearing into Doc's flesh. The look of pain in Doc's eyes flashed through her mind and she had to hold back a sob. She couldn't unravel. Not here, not now.

Emma either didn't notice or she didn't want to draw any attention to it. "Hey, should we wake those two dorks back there?"

Regina smiled at her mainly because of the silliness of the statement. It quickly eased the tension. "You're asking me if you should wake your son?"

"Well yeah," the blonde shrugged. "If I wake my mine it would quite possibly wake yours so do you want yours awake?"

Regina chuckled. "You're asking me that like you're asking how I want my food."

"Well, he is a little muffin."

"I agree." The brunette stole a glimpse of her son asleep in the same position. "Henry is very adorable as well."

"Thanks" Emma said with another grin. "Well, he does…"

"Take after you. Yeah I know." Regina finished sarcastically.

"Well, thank you." Emma said with a wink. Receiving an eye roll and a shake of a head from the other woman. Which she didn't mind because she noticed the woman slipping back into that dark place, the same one she was in earlier and she had to get her out of it and quick. So what was a little sass? If it kept the woman she was starting to care so much for from losing herself in her pain and loss.

* * *

It had been about two hours since Graham and Killian had taken off. The boys had woken up and were currently sitting on the side of the road rolling a ball back and forth as the sun beat down on the side of their faces. Regina and Emma were standing side by side with their backs rested against the side of the bug, arms crossed and sporting similar annoyed expressions.

"What if something bad happened to them?" their heads shot up to see Ruby standing in front of them.

"Then I made another wrong call by letting them go." Regina stated simply.

"Regina…" Emma sighed.

"Wrong… what?" Ruby asked brows furrowed. "When did you make a wrong call? What did I miss?"

"She thinks Doc's death is her fault." Emma replied.

"It wasn't. You did what you thought was best. You saved my life and Seth's." Ruby paused for a moment. "If they had been outside when you told them to, if he would have followed orders he would've still been alive."

"Ruby..." Regina warned.

"What?! it's true. Everyone who listened survived with the exception of Seth, and if he blames you then he's an asshole."

"Ruby…" it was Emma to warn this time.

"Fine." Ruby said throwing her arms up in defeat. "But I trust you, Gina, you kept me alive this long." And with that the younger brunette was gone.

Regina looked over just in time to catch the blonde watching Ruby walking away. She cleared her throat. Emma's eyes snapped back to her. An apologetic look on her face. "Really, Swan?"

Emma chuckled at the brunette's raised brow. "What?"

She gestured to the younger woman over now talking to Mary Margaret and David. "I saw you."

Emma returned the raised brow. "What? I can't look?"

Regina shrugged. "You can do whatever you want, Emma." She turned around and fished her gun off of the dash.

"Sorry for looking, you don't have to shoot me." Emma joked.

Regina shook her head putting it in the waistband of her jeans before grabbing her crossbow. "I have to go look for Graham and Killian. Only god knows what kind of mess those two idiots have gotten themselves into."

"Okay, great. I'm going with you." The blonde said reaching in and grabbing her own gun.

"Um… No you're not." Regina said grabbing her wrist. "You're staying here, where I know you're safe. I don't know what I might run into up there."

"Exactly." The other woman replied. "That's why you'll need me."

"Emma…"

"Look, Regina. I'm not letting you go out there by yourself. So come on, lets go."

"Fine." The brunette sighed before heading over to David, Mary Margaret and Ruby informing them that they're in charge of keeping an eye on the boys and if they sense even the slightest bit of danger they are to grab the boys and Seth and get the hell out of there. All three of them nodded.

"Where are you going?" Regina looked down to see Roland looking up at her with wide worried eyes.

"I'm going to find your childish uncle. He's an idiot and he probably got himself into a lot of trouble." She ran her fingers through his soft curls. "I won't be gone long."

"Please be safe." His tiny voice pleaded. "Please come back."

She knelt down in front of him taking his face in her hands and kissing his forehead. "I always come back. Don't I?" he nodded. She pulled him into a tight hug and she felt him squeeze her back. Holding onto her as if as soon as he let go she would be taken from him. "I promise I'll come back." She knew promising him that was wrong since there was no guarantee that she would but she needed to give him hope. It helped him to be strong and that's what she needed. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mommy." He mumbled against her shoulder before pulling away.

She ran her fingers through his hair again. "Be strong. I'll be back before you even start to miss me." She stood to her feet just as Emma released Henry from a hug.

The older boy stepped next to Roland putting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry; I'll look out for him." He said proudly.

Regina couldn't help but smile at that. "I know you will, Henry, thank you."

"Remember, Henry, pay attention." Emma told him. "We'll be back soon." He nodded.

At that the women walked over to the pick-up and Regina went into the weapons bag, grabbed some extra guns and bullets and they were on their way.

* * *

 _"So now what?" She heard Graham ask beside her._

 _"We save them." She replied simply. She already made up her mind that she was going to help with or without Graham._

 _They were lying on their stomachs safely hidden on a small hill. She looked through the binoculars again and watched the young man and the older man running around dodging the approaching zombies. One grabbed the older man but he yanked his hand away before it could bite down on him. That's when she decided that she was done watching and she had to interfere._

 _She got up and ran over the hill and down into the gas station. She heard heavy foot steps behind her that she knew was Graham._

 _One approached her and she held her gun up and as soon as it lunged at her she pulled the trigger, the bullet went straight through into the one behind it._

 _"Graham!" she called over her shoulder. He already knew what she wanted and at that point he drew his other gun, firing with perfect precision and taking them down two at a time, covering her so she could get to the two men while she took a few down on her own._

 _By the time they reached the men they had cleared the area. She tucked her gun away and Graham put his back in his holsters as they approached the two men who were huddled in a corner behind a vending machine._

 _"Hey." Regina said as she approached them, her hands in front of her, palms facing out._

 _The older man stepped out first ignoring the warnings of the younger man. "Hello there." He said with a shaky smile._

 _She smiled back. "Hello. I'm Regina" then she gestured to the man beside her. "And this is my friend Graham."_

 _"I'm Doc." The man said gesturing to himself before gesturing to the man behind him. "That's Seth."_

 _"People call me Stealthy." The younger man piped up._

 _"Well it's nice to meet you both." She said. "Shall we get out of here before more show up?"_

 _"Lets." Both men said in unison._

 _She and Graham grabbed some gas and a few supplies from the station before slowly leading the men back to their group which was waiting only a few yards away._

 _"Hey." Doc said falling into step with Regina. "I'd like to thank you for putting your life on the line for us."_

 _"And mine." Graham added bitterly._

 _The older man chuckled. "Thanks to both of you."_

 _"So where are you headed?" Graham asked._

 _"This town called Storybrooke in Maine. It's supposed to be a safe zone." Doc replied._

 _"We've heard of it." Regina said quietly._

 _"We're headed there now." Graham added. "Why don't you come with us?"_

 _"Yeah." Regina added. "A group is safer than just the two of you."_

 _"We'd love to." Doc said happily. "Wouldn't we Seth?"_

 _"Yep!"_

 _"How could I ever repay you for your kindness?" The older man asked Regina._

 _"You don't have to repay me for doing the right thing but... just... don't die."_

 _"I think I could do that."_

* * *

They've been walking for about an hour and still no sign of the guys. The sun was beating down on them and Regina was already exhausted but she wasn't one to complain. Besides her mind wouldn't let her focus on anything other than Graham and Killian. What if they were hurt or even worse? If they died they would be the second and third person they lost in a matter of hours. Well, she lost them because it was her call to let him go against her better judgment.

Regina was always good at making decisions under pressure. She always remained level headed and could channel her emotions. Turn them on and turn them off in an instant. It's a skill she was taught at a young age by her mother who Regina would often joke that didn't have a heart. She tells everyone that's what made her a strong person. Always overachieving just to get acknowledgment from a mother who behaved as though a hug from her daughter would burn her like acid.

She couldn't help but wonder what her mother would think of all of this. She could hear her mother now… 'This is entirely your fault, Regina. All of their blood is on your hands. Every drop. You might as well have fed Doc to those things'.

Emma looked over at the woman beside her. Her features were darkening again, the same as earlier. That was a face Emma knew all too well having worn it herself a few times. That's the expression of guilt. When you're beating yourself up over something you can't change. Something you know you can't fix so you hit harder trying to punish yourself. She couldn't sit by and let that happen to this woman.

"Hey." She said nudging Regina with her elbow and the woman seemed to stir from her thoughts. She looked over at her with wide questioning eyes. "Didn't you want to know what I did before this?"

Regina stared at her for a while before nodding, "Yes."

"Well I told you I was a bail bonds person right?" the brunette nodded. "Well, my friend called me and told me that he needed me to come out and help him catch this asshole." She didn't take her eyes off of the woman beside her. "He did some really bad shit but I'm not going to get into it because it's not really important."

"Oh..."

"Yeah... well, he was caught but when he was released on bail he skipped town before his court date so when my buddy called me I thought to myself 'what an excellent excuse to just get away from everything'."

"Like what?"

"A lot of stuff..." At the brunette's furrowed brow she quickly added. "That's a story for another time." She flashed the woman a broad smile. "Anyway, we found out he was trying to pick up women at this bar where wealthy women hung out. You know the place with the ten grand bottles of wine."

Regina nodded and chuckled a little. "Yep. I've been to a few myself. It seems so stupid now."

"It's stupid anytime. Why pay that much when you could just have a beer at home?"

Regina raised a brow. "Emma! Is that your idea of a date?"

"Yes. I mean no…" the question had her stumbling over her words. "Anyway, stop interrupting." She threw the woman playful glare. "Anyway, so I went to the bar kind of like a decoy. I sat down and spotted him using his mug shot. I ordered a whole bunch of expensive shit I couldn't even pronounce and eventually snagged his attention. So this douche comes over to my table and starts chatting me up and drinking with me. After about an hour of listening to his shit I told him I wanted to leave. Being... well… a man he followed and once we were outside my friend approached him. As soon as he saw him he sensed something was up so he drew a gun, out of fucking nowhere and shot my friend square in the chest."

"Oh my god."

"Yep and what did I say about interrupting?"

"Sorry."

"Anyway, so my friend falls to the ground, I thought he was dead. I push the asshole into a car; hit his head up against the door a few times knocking him out and took his gun before heading back to my buddy. There's blood everywhere but he's still breathing. He opens his eyes and you know what he says? 'Good job, Swan' he's bleeding to death and that's what he says. So I instantly start apologizing for fucking up, saying I should've paid better attention but he just shakes his head and says there's no way I could've known that was going to happen. I did my job and he did his. I can't blame myself for an unforeseeable event. If it was anyone's fault it was the jerk's lying on the ground. I made the call that I thought was best and as a result that guy will be off the streets. He called that a job well done."

After a few moments of silence Regina nodded. "He was right. It wasn't your fault. You couldn't have known…"

"Bingo!" Emma said with a slight smirk. "But I didn't know that at the time and it took me a while to forgive myself for something I didn't even do." She paused staring into those dark eyes which were reflecting gold in the sun. "Do you know why I'm telling you this?"

"I shouldn't blame myself for Doc? Because there was no way I could've saw that happening..." Regina replied quietly.

"Yahtzee!" Emma exclaimed again, grin in full force. "Pretty and smart."

They both blushed at the last part. "Was your friend okay?"

Emma nodded. "Yes. He's a tough son of a bitch."

* * *

"Me too. If anyone was built for this world it was him."

After a few moments of silence Regina looked over at Emma. "Thank you."

"For?" the blonde asked curiously.

"Being there, helping me deal with this. We haven't known each other very long but you're determined to help me get through this."

"Well you're a good person, Regina. You risked your life to rescue a woman you didn't even know and her son. I can't stand by and let people like that hurt."

Regina smiled at that. Not a forced smile. Like an actual real smile and Emma couldn't resist but smile back seeing the worry lifted from the woman's face for the briefest of moments. In that moment she realized that smile was a spec of light in this dark world and she wanted to hold on to it. "Well thanks anyway."

"You're very welcome."

"One more thing."

"Yeah?"

"About the hand holding… in the car."

Emma visually gulped at that. Shit! Had she overstepped? She seriously thought that she was okay with it if her response was anything to go by. "Look I'm really sorry… I didn't know how else to comfort you so…"

The brunette held up a hand silencing her. "I was going to say it was nice and I wouldn't mind if you did it again sometime."

"Oh" Emma said unable to hide the goofy grin. "Well then I'll be more than happy to do it more often." At that she reached for the woman's hand but halted when she saw her stiffen. "What is it?" following the woman's line of sight. She spotted the sign for the gas station. "Regina?" she called softly.

"They're in there." She whispered eyes never leaving the sign.

Emma nodded. "Yep. Most likely but Regina, whatever we find in there it isn't your fault."

Regina nodded before walking passed her following the sign. Emma quickly fell into step with her. The gravel splayed out on the concrete crunching under their feet, the only sound between them since they both had fallen silent. Regina worrying about the wellbeing of two members of her group while Emma worried about Regina's wellbeing should anything have happened to them.

Once they reached the end of the road and they began to walk onto the path to the gas station the sounds of gun shots caused them to freeze. They both immediately dropped to the ground. Not knowing where the gun shots were coming from and not wanting to be mistaken for the undead.

"Do you think that's them?" Emma asked not being able to see anything because there was a curve before you turned into the gas station.

"There's only one way to find out." The brunette replied and before the blonde could ask she let out a three part whistle. They both waited and a few seconds later a two part whistle sounded back. Regina looked over at Emma. "That's them."

"Great… but why aren't you smiling?"

"They're outnumbered."

"You could tell all that from a whistle?"

"Yes. It's basically saying 'Not safe, don't come any closer' remind me to teach you."

"Gladly, but what should we do? Should we go get help?"

Regina shook her head quickly. "No, there's no time but you can go back. I'm sure we can handle this. I won't put you in danger."

"What the hell? I'm not leaving you."

"Emma…"

"Regina, no. We do this together."

Regina sighed heavily, praying she wouldn't end up with more blood on her hands but relented. "Fine, keep your head down, stay close and whatever you do," her eyes locked on those forest green ones, staring into them intensely. There was something in them. Something true and determined. "Don't die."

Emma nodded and they both got to their feet after a short whistle and when it was returned they both rounded the corner. Their jaws dropped when they saw the group of what had to be about thirty zombies surrounding the little convenience store connected to the gas station. They looked up and saw Graham on the roof. He spotted them and waved.

"Now what?" Emma whispered not taking her eyes off of the group of undead before her. "That's a lot."

"We could take them." Regina said simply. She raised her crossbow and hit one in the back of the head. It collapsed to the ground. None of its friends noticed it because they were too busy trying to get to the warm living flesh inside. She reloaded and did the same to a few more.

"We need a clear path!" they heard Graham call from the roof. Regina nodded. A split moment of relief washing over her. When she didn't see Killian she had feared the worst but hearing Graham say "we" helped ease that worry a little. Now it was the other task at hand.

She looked over at the blonde. "You're good with a gun right?" she nodded. "Good because once you start firing..." she shot another arrow with perfect precision, they could hear the pop of the zombie's skull from where they were standing a few yards away. That's a juicy one. "It's going to draw their attention to us."

"I know." The blonde raised her gun and fired. They both held their breath until the bullet ripped through the skull of what once was an elderly man. It collapsed into the one in front of it knocking it down. Regina drew her own gun and shot one as soon as it began to turn around hitting it clean in the side of the head.

It took the others a few moments to realize where the sound was coming from and by then the women had taken out four each. "Get ready, here they come." Regina warned as the remainder of the group turned and started staggering their way. After taking out two more she reached behind her and pulled out another gun raising it and taking out another two. She caught a glimpse of Graham followed by Killian ducking out of the store knives in hand.

They each ran up to one and simultaneously dug their knives into their skulls letting them drop to the ground. They proceeded to do the same with the next few. The bullets from the women's guns were slicing through the air cutting down the walking corpses with ease; they began backing up because those things were getting too close. The group was dying down and there were only a few left. Back to the trees of the woods Regina couldn't see the one coming up behind her. It tackled her to the ground. She could hear its teeth chomping behind her and the disgusting gurgling mixed with a snarling sound it made as it held her down. The stench of death bringing back memories from the night before as she struggled to flip them over.

Emma looked down and saw the one holding Regina down. When she saw it lowering its mouth to the woman's shoulder she kicked it with so much force that when her boot connected with its jaw she heard something crack but it continued to move as it laid on the ground. She stepped over Regina and raised her boot over the zombie's head and when she brought it down she was immediately met with the squishy feeling like stepping on raw meat with the familiar popping followed by a wet, sloshing sound. She stomped on the skull a few more times. After it stopped moving she looked over at the brunette who had turned herself over so now she was on her back. Their eyes met. Emma immediately stuck her hand out and when the woman took it she helped her to her feet.

They looked over and saw Graham and Killian taking out the last few with the help of Graham's perfect aim and Killian's hook. They looked back at each other.

"Well, Regina, I believe this is the second time I saved your life." Emma said with a very smug expression followed by a very flirtatious wink. "In the old world you would owe me a drink." Regina started to say something but instead just raised the crossbow in Emma's direction. The blonde raised her hands in defense. "Or not." Without warning she let the arrow fly. Emma closed her eyes bracing for impact but instead felt a faint gust of air as it zipped passed her and heard a crack as it hit something behind her. She whirled around just in time to see the body collapse to the ground. Arrow sticking out of its forehead.

Regina chuckled at Emma's surprised expression. "Now we're even but I'd still buy you a drink."

"How about dinner instead?" Emma asked as they both watched Killian drive his hook into the top of the last one's skull.

"I'd like that very much." Regina didn't even catch Emma's grin because she was watching Graham as he headed their way. If looks could kill, well, the man would have dropped where he stood.

He raised his hands in defense as he reached her. "I know, I know. I'm sorry," at her cocked brow he added. "I should have listened." He gestured behind him as Killian emerges with two large, red, handled containers. "But we found gas…. And food."

Regina wanted to pat him on the back for that but she was too pissed at him for scaring her like that after what had just happened the night before. She stepped back and started heading back the way she came. "Let's get back. I don't want to leave them out in the open like that for too long." It wasn't long before Emma was at her side.

"Yes, ma'am." They heard him say from behind them. Neither bothered to look back.

* * *

When they finally reached the group all four people were exhausted out of their minds. Regina's feet were killing her so she was miserable and Emma was miserable… well basically because Regina was miserable. So when they were in eye shot of their companions and Regina saw her son wiggling in Ruby's arms it brightened her mood just a little. As soon as Ruby set him down he ran the short distance and once his mother squatted down he launched himself into her arms. She stood up with Roland still in her arms and caught a glimpse of Henry wrapping his arms around his mother.

Roland still in her arms she walked back to the rest of the group. Mary Margaret met her halfway. "Hey. Any problems?"

Mary Margaret shook her head. "Nope. Roland got a little worried in your absence though."

"But I told him his mother is a bad ass so he needn't worry about you." Ruby added as she walked up.

"Good to know that you're teaching him such colorful language." Regina said running her fingers through Roland's thick hair. She placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Everything okay?" David asked as he joined the three women.

"Yeah. No problems." She lied. There was really no need to worry them. "There were a few roaming around but we handled it."

"Then what took so long?" he asked looking behind him at the two men loading the gas into the back of the pick up.

"You're asking me what took those two morons so long?"

David nodded. "Touché."

Roland laid his head on her shoulder and she started rubbing soothing circles on his back. He was tired and so was she. Today was a long trying day and it wasn't even near over. "We should get moving." She started walking back to the cars but stopped at the pick-up. She paused handing Roland over to Ruby who took him instantly. She turned back and peered into the truck.

"Hey." She said quietly.

He looked over at her before looking back down at his hands in his lap. "Hey." He mumbled.

"Look, Seth…"

She was cut off by his head shake. "Save it, Regina, He got bit. He got bit, he was infected. You dealt with the problem before it even started. Such a great leader you are." The bite in the last part made her cringe.

"Seth, you know as well as I that Doc, sick or not would never be a problem. That's what he wanted." She said trying to keep her voice even.

"Yeah, he wanted to be shot in the head and his corpse to be eaten by zombies."

"Of course he didn't want _that_ but he said that…"

"I don't care, Regina. He's gone. You killed him." He spat.

"You know that's not true. Seth."

"And the worst part is that you can't even own up to what you've done. What kind of leader does that?"

"Seth…" she was pleading with him at this point.

"No!" he screamed. "I've had enough. He's gone because of you and you can't fix that."

"He was important to all of us," she said softly feeling tears threatening. Thinking of the moments she shared with Doc. Him being the only person she could confide in when it came to her fears and concerns of leadership.

"But he was my friend. You have Roland and I have no one."

"You have me." It came out so quiet she was surprised that he even heard it.

He scoffed. "Right because I'm that important to you."

"You are."

"Whatever, Regina."

She started to say something but a hand on her shoulder caused her to look up. She was met with Graham's eyes, a silent apology in them. An apology for what she wasn't quite sure. "Give him some time." He said giving her shoulder a squeeze. "He'll come around."

She gave a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I hope you're right." She said before heading back to the bug. She couldn't blame Seth for hating her actually. It was to be expected that he blamed her. But experiencing it was a totally different feeling and it hurt a lot. The guilt was like a thousand zombies gnawing at her for hours with no end in sight. It was actually worse than that.

She slid into the passenger's seat to find Emma turned around in her seat as Roland talked to her about something excitedly. She had to smile at that. He never opens up so easily to anyone for fear he may lose them soon but for some reason this little boy was drawn to the blonde and her son. This dulled the pain in her heart from the conversation (if you could even call it that) with Seth. She pulled the door closed and Emma turned around to face her.

"I was just getting a lesson in the history of soccer." Emma said glancing over her shoulder and smiling at the four year old. He smiled back proudly.

Regina smiled at her son through the rearview mirror. "Really now?" he nodded proudly.

Emma and Regina shared a smile. "Now I know a little about him but I'd also like to know a little about his mother."

"What is it you want to know?"

Emma thought about it for a moment and with a shrug she said, "Whatever you want to tell me. I just want to get to know you."

"Well okay…" Regina started but the honk stopped her, she chuckled just as the other horn honked and the cars pulled off. Back on the road. Headed towards their destination. Just hoping they all make it there in one piece.

* * *

 **Hi, it's me again. So we got some flashbacks showing Doc's relationship with Regina. I also wanted Regina and Graham finding Doc and Seth in a gas station to connect with the gas station zombie slaying scene. I hope that worked. I also feel like flashbacks are necessary because of where I started the story. And yay SQ bonding time! Well I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Let me know how I'm doing. Thanks for reading! See ya at the next update! :)**


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